How to Trek to Wenhai from Baisha Old Town

Trekking to Wenhai

Starting from Yuhu of Baisha, the town where Joseph Rock lived for 17 years in the 1930’s and 40’s, a steep uphill climb followed by a traverse through a shallow bowl and a sharp descent to the Wenhai Ecolodge takes about 4 hours, which gives hikers time to enjoy the scenery. The forests surrounding Wenhai Village are home to many species of plants and animals, including musk deer and Lady Amherst’s pheasants.

For the more adventurous, Wenhai can be the starting point of a three-day trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which tracks an upper stretch of the Yangtze River through one of the world’s deepest ravines. (Environmentalists are fighting plans to dam the gorge for a hydropower project that would flood much of the area, but not Wenhai, which is at a higher elevation.) Other activities include horseback riding, visiting local schools and, from November to March, bird-watching.Rhododendrons blossom in April and May; in July and August, it rains most afternoons.

Three days (two nights) is the recommended minimum stay, although the trek can be completed in two days (one night).